My internet is down at home. So not been online much.
Wanted to post reviews of Sivakasi, Maja, Shaadi No.1. But due to time constraints and the fact that my Sivakasi story has to appear on print first, here’s the gist of it till I get a chance to update in detail.
Sivakasi: Super-duper fun. Just a coupla cribs though: Sentiment overdone, just too many sexist lines (We have to blame Superstar for showing the way!). But for that, I think Sivakasi packs more punches and punchlines than Tirupaachi or any Ilaya Thalapathy movie. Ilaya Thalapathy is brilliant in doing a Superstar act, it’s like watching a 90s Thalaivar superhit movie… the build-up song, the comedy, the savaal and the rise to power of the simpleton… all told with plenty of tributes to Superstar. What’s good about Vijay is he doesn’t merely copy, he takes it one step forward with his own charm and interpretation of style, punch-lines and even manifests it in his dance and costumes… More superstar than superstar himself. He’s surely the prince! I only wish Perarasu had made this with Superstar 10 years ago, it wud’ve run 500 days! Now, it will probably run 250!
Watched it again last night. The movie is a blast. Entertainment guaranteed. Almost lost my throat screaming during the first day first show.
Maja: Vikram does a Simbu. I totally hated the finger-gimmicks. He says: “Maja pannu” about 254 times in the movie that after a point of time, you really wanna ask him to shove it up. I know he did a similar finger stunt in Gemini too but here it’s sooo wannabe Little Superstar. I soooo wish Vikram goes back to Dharani and does a coupla films. He seems to be losing it. Nothing wrong with his acting at all just that the movie just doesn’t make sense.
‘Maja’ tries to fuse a ‘Vanathapolae’ sentiment-laden story with a ‘Dhool’ sensibility, and in the process gets confused between the genres. So as a result, we have a very inconsistent, yawn-inducing narrative alternating between Visu-movie ‘thaali’ sentiment scenes and a rustic rowdy stunts. The first half is tolerable thanks to a delightful Pasupathy doing comedy in tandem with Manivannan (his comic timing rocks) and Vadivelu (who totally rocks in that one scene where he walks in slow motion after Vikram challenges the village headman, almost spoofing the movie itself). Staying on during the second half is suicide. I really hope he regains his lost form signing up with Dharani, probably the only director apart from Hari (in Saamy) who has been able to mould him into a macho hero. It’s also Asin’s weakest role till date. She gets totally wasted in this movie and watching Vikram feel her up in ‘Chi chi’ doesn’t really help you feel better either.
Shaadi No.1: I love David Dhawan. Even liked his last movie Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. Then imagine how bad the movie would be if I say Shaadi No.1 sucked. It’s Sanjay Dutt silliest role with him getting to mouth the saddest lines to be ever written in the most terrible Punjabi accent heard on screen off late. He comes up with over two dozen (yes! About 24) limericks and most of them barring one or two make you squirm.
Here’s another one about three married men with beautiful wives uninterested in sex trying to find extra-marital entertainment (Yawn!) Inspite of the movie having over half a dozen drool-worthy babes, you really can’t watch this beyond the first 20 minutes. The only time I laughed was watching Zayed Khan dressed as Spiderman rescuing damsel in distress. But like Abhishek Bachchan (Yuva) / Madhavan (Aayitha Ezhuthu) says: Why buy the whole wine shop for want of a bottle?
To be updated…
MADRAS INK. 